Page:The Czechoslovak Review, vol4, 1920.pdf/136

alone responsible for the present day situation; we are all responsible for it, and we must all suffer and repent for our guilt in common.

For all that, although Masaryk denounces the spirit of contemporary society which is intoxicated with materialism and self-indulgence, and although he unflinchingly reveals the great defects in the economic and social structure of modern civilization, yet he does not give vent to any prejudice by rejecting the whole of the modern economic system and by advocating in the manner of Tolstoy a return to primitive economics, but he demands a moral regeneration and radical reforms which must be struggled for to attain reasonable economic standards.

Masaryk is a decided opponent of listless acquiescence; on the contrary he is always advocating labor, enterprise and resourcefulness. He is fond of drawing attention to economic progress and development in other countries and of indicating the general tendencies of economic movements throughout the world. On more than one occasion he has particularly emphasised the great importance of modern means of communication, which render possible, to a degree hitherto unforeseen, the exchange of ideas, persons and things. This is a factor which exerts a thoroughly radical influence upon our modern economic life. It was many years ago that Palacký, the eminent Czech historian, pointed out that through the marvelous power of steam and electricity, world relationships were acquiring a new standard, and that a centralisation, as it were, of the whole globe was being developed. Masaryk refers to these ideas of Palacký with emphatic approval, corroborating and amplifying them by fresh evidence. And it is from this universal standpoint, too, that he deals with racial problems, especially with the struggle between the Czechs and the Germans. In discussing this particular question he always had in mind the difficulties arising from the inland situation of Bohemia. It was therefore Masaryk’s endeavor in establishing and developing the Czechoslovak State, to counteract this drawback as much as possible by means of an appropriate adjustment of the frontiers and by alliances and agreements with neighboring states, in order that the Czechs might enjoy the benefits of the main communication routes. But not only in the international markets, at home as well must industry and commerce, business and agriculture be dominated by the endeavor to establish the reputation of their produce and their efficiency in dealing. Sharp practice, fraud, cheating, extortion and usury of former days must be eliminated from economic activities and replaced by reliability, honesty, efficiency, readiness and enthusiasm.

In Masaryk’s opinion, the object of economic endeavors should not be the acquisition of wealth, especially of wealth at any price. There must of course be an effort to attain prosperity, but only with the object of being able to develop and thrive in a spiritual direction and of having a firm basis for the political existence and aims of the people. In other words, Masaryk desires economic life to be also actuated by the moral principles of truth, justice and humaneness. He is, of course, well aware that the leanings of mankind towards greed, covetousness and rapacity to the detriment of others are very strong; he therefore demands that the State should use its authority to keep economic activities well under control, and in particular he is convinced of the need for the State to take economic charge of those who are weak or in danger of being submerged.

Hence Masaryk has always been in favor of protective legislation in the interests of labor, especially in the direction of effectively reducing and standardising the working day, further, of a well ordered and completely developed system of social insurance, of building reform and of social hygiene in the widest sense of the word. On the other hand he has declared against the supremacy of the State as well as against State collectivism, since he has no desire to restrain and suppress enterprise on the part of individuals or numerically small organizations. On the contrary he has emphasized the significance of personal initiative and self-government in economic matters. He has also come out most emphatically in favor of buying up landed property, especially the large estates, and of distributing them to small holders. But Masaryk has consistently opposed communism both in intellectual and economic affairs.

Although he attaches such importance to fundamental and radical reforms, yet on the other hand Masaryk has no desire to bring about hasty and ill-considered changes. What he aims at is organic de-